Bluetooth enabled Smart Home.doc

BLUE LIte and Blue HeatBluetooth enabled Smart Home DevicesMark Shaw and Giorgio PolitanoThe Bachelor of Applied Computing/Diploma in Wireless and Telecommunications TechnologyUniversity of Guelph-HumberDr. Mieso DenkoSubmitted to the University of Guelph-Humber August 2008AbstractHome appliances such as security and climate control systems have become more advanced with the recent improvements in microcontrollers and wireless technologies such as Bluetooth. Most of these appliances have difficult and complex user interfaces. However, by incorporating smart phones and other Bluetooth enabled mobile devices, users can connect to the appliances using their own existing communication device. Although the automotive industry has taken advantage of this in recent years with the development of Bluetooth enabled appliances in many higher-end vehicles, such solutions for the home are not commonly found. This thesis will outline the design and implementation of a system to interface with pre-existing home appliances and communicate with a mobile device such as a cell phone, laptop or PDA via Bluetooth. The application relies on the use of cell phones, personal computers and temperature sensors to collect signals through a wireless network to provide users with a simple interface to interact with appliances in the home. ContentsAbstract2Contents31. Introduction61.1Background61.2Motivation71.3Contribution71.4Organization72. Literature Review83. Bluetooth enabled Smart Home Devices103.1 Problem Statement103.2 Objectives103.3 Development Tools123.3.1 Bluetooth development board123.3.2 Microchip Inc. MPLAB IDE,123.3.3 FlexiPanel Designer123.4 Interface Design133.4.1 User Interface Prototype133.5 Software153.5.1 Pre-defined Toothpick Services153.5.2 Program Flow Charts163.6 Hardware163.6.1 Block Diagram173.6.2 Bluetooth module with microcontroller173.6.3 Bluetooth enabled smart phone183.6.4 Honeywell CT50 Series analogy Thermostat194. Implementation and Analysis194.1 Interface194.2 Software204.2.1 Pre-defined Code204.2.2 Blue Heat Code214.2.3 Blue Lite Code224.3 Hardware224.3.1 Temperature Control Circuit224.3.2 Lighting Control Circuit264.4 Installing the Application274.5 Running the Application284.5.1 Interacting with the Interfaces285. Future Work296. Conclusions30Appendix A Schematics31Appendix B Code Flow Charts33Appendix C Blue Heat Code35Appendix D - Cost404.6.1 Blue Heat404.6.2 Blue Lite40References41List of FiguresFigure 1 - Blue Lite/ Blue Heat Interface Prototype13Figure 2 Blue Lite and Blue Heat CPU User Interface14Figure 3 - User interface on Java phone14Figure 4 - Blue Heat Flow Diagram19Figure 5 - Blue Lite Flow Diagram20Figure 6 -Hardware Block Diagram21Figure 7 - ToothPick 2.1 mechanical schematic22Figure 8 - Blue Heat Prototype - Circuit25Figure 9 - Blue Heat Prototype - Back25Figure 10 - Blue Heat Prototype - Front25Figure 11 - Blue Lite Schematic28Figure 12 - FlexiPanel Architecture291. Introduction1.1 BackgroundHome automation deals with the specific automation requirements of homes and in the application of automation techniques for the comfort and security of its residents. This can include controlling the lights, climate control, control of doors and windows, security and surveillance systems. There are currently several products on the market that allow home owners to control these devices. This is normally controlled by a handheld remote that communicates with the devices using a mesh wireless network or a wired network. These types of devices require a unique and dedicated device to communicate with the automated products. One of the basic systems on the market is made by iControl 9 and is easy to install and expandable. The system uses the 802.11 wireless protocols to transmit signals from the various devices to a control box which is connected to the internet. Some of the devices the company offers specifically for elderly care include: cameras, window/door sensors, motion sensors, water sensors, freeze sensors, panic pendants/wristwatches, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, lamp modules, and thermostats. All of the devices are connected wirelessly to the control box which then allows the devices to be monitored and controlled using the companies website. This system is perfect for the elderly because it is easy to use and it allows family members to monitor the house to ensure that their relative is safe, it is portable and can easily be installed in an existing home. The major drawbacks of this system are that it requires the use of several costly technologies to properly operate. The user must have internet access available as well as a router to install the control box. The user must also have a mobile device which has web access to check the status of their home. This can become expensive with the data plans mobile carriers offer today. The automotive industry has also taken advantage of short range wireless technologies to enable users to safely operate their vehicles while still making hands free phone calls. Most high-end vehicles produced after 2004 now come equipped with Bluetooth. More than 30 automotive brands worldwide, including Audi and Land Rover, offer Bluetooth-compatible cars. Some cars come with Bluetooth systems as standard equipment while some offer it as an available option. Chrysler's system, called UConnect, includes a rearview-mirror-mounted microphone, a dash-mounted control pad and a hidden Bluetooth receiver. Acura's system, called HandsFreeLink, is voice-activated, and caller, signal and battery strength information display on the instrument panel. 11. This system eliminates hard-wired connections or docking stations and allows drivers to operate their cell phones either through the car's controls or via hands-free voice activation. The system then communicates back with you through your cars stereo and some systems even automatically mute your car's audio when a call is answered. These systems have proved to be a popular selling point as many countries are making it illegal to use a cell phone while operating a vehicle. Although the automotive industry has shown a dramatic increase in the use of Bluetooth technologies for smarter cars, this implementation is not widely found within the home. Another key project is ongoing at The University of Florida 10. They have built a 500 square foot smart house that is designed assist and to provide medical care to a user. The house implements devices including a microwave that recognizes entrees and automatically determines how long to cook them and devices to track the individuals location within the home. The house also uses devices to detect water on the floor and a camera that allows the person to view who is at the door and let them in using a cell phone. The smart house at the University of Florida relies on a centralized computer network to deliver electronically coordinated assistance. 1.2 MotivationThe research previously conducted shows the importance of implementing home automation for the elderly or disabled. Smart homes allow them to stay in their residents where they feel more comfortable and can prolong the time before having to move into costly health care facilities. Smart homes will give the disabled an opportunity for independence that they may not have had before. The goal of this project is to design a system that communicates with a mobile device such as a cell phone or PDA via Bluetooth. The application relies on the use of cell phones and inexpensive sensors and is best suited for the elderly and home-bound people. The main functions of the project are to collect signals through a wireless sensor network using the protocol Bluetooth and the analysis for data through an adaptive architecture.1.3 ContributionTwo innovative products were produced called Blue Lite and Blue Heat. Blue Heat is a Bluetooth enabled thermostat and Blue Lite is a Bluetooth enabled light controller. Both of these applications rely on the use of cell phones or personal computers, microcontrollers and temperature control sensors to collect signals through a wireless network to provide users with a simple interface to interact with appliances in the home.The devices produced enable the user to control the appliances using pre-existing devices such as their mobile phone or home computer. The interfaces are intuitive and easy to use and provide the user with a more accessible interface then those found in the home. The devices are also very easy to integrate into existing applications and require only a small amount of expertise to install. 1.4 OrganizationThis paper is organized as follows. Section 2 is comprised of a literature review which describes pre-existing solutions. Section 3 describes the prototype and design of the system produced and section 4 describes the implementation and analysis of these systems. Future work and expansions are discussed in section 5 and finally, section 6 gives the conclusions. 2. Literature ReviewThe introduction of home automation in the 1970s failed to improve the lifestyles of users for several reasons. Firstly, determining economic benefits of home automation technologies is difficult. The costs of implementing smart home technology must be justified by the effects brought about by their installation 3. There is a need for home automation technologies to be cost effective, easy to install and flexible with many network infrastructures and appliances. In 2003, Housing Learning & Improvement network published a smart home definition offered by Interetec which states that a smart home is “a dwelling incorporating a communications network that connects the key electrical appliances and services, and allows them to be remotely controlled, monitored or accessed” 4. The following section includes a brief summary of previous research into smart homes within the past decade.In 1995, Welfare Techno-Houses were constructed in Japan. 7. The purpose of these experiments was to provide health monitoring for elderly and disabled persons at home by using fully automated measurements to support daily health care and improve quality of life. The University of Texas at Arlington has conducted the MavHome project over the past 7 years 8. The MavHome (Managing an Adaptive Versatile Home) is a home environment that detects environment states through sensors and intelligently acts upon the environment though controllers. The sensors in the home form an ad-hoc network with interconnect together to make appropriate decisions. SAP laboratories in Canada with researches from the University of McGill 6 present a wireless solution for monitoring people in need of medical assistance. The application relies on the use of cell phones and inexpensive sensors and is best suited for the elderly and home-bound people. The main functions of the project is to collect signals through a wireless sensor network using protocols like ZigBee and Bluetooth and the analysis for data through an adaptive architecture that produces real-time heath-monitoring system to improve medical support for people in their homes and in assisted living environments.The research highlights a general architecture framework that consists of three major parts. Firstly, medical data is collected from sensors and transmitted to mobile devices through a wireless sensor network. Secondly, collected data is processed by a J2ME application running on mobile devices. Finally, the data collected and combined with data from other sensors to decide on an appropriate action. The advantages of this approach are that it does not require costly equipment, specialized infrastructure or a challenging learning curve. It can be deployed in a short period of time at a very low cost. Several groups have done extensive research into the use of smart home devices for the support or elderly and handicap people. The University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany 5 has described the challenges regarding smart homes, especially for supporting the elderly and handicapped. The purpose is to compensate for handicaps and support the individual in order to give them a more independent life for as long as possible. A set of objectives is outlined that are of particular concern to an elderly or handicapped person. The higher level goal is to compensate any limitations in any part of his life as far as possible and to enable the patient to live a more independent life as long as possible. Several sub-networks were used in the implementation which includes Bluetooth, Wireless LAN, Radio Frequency ID (RFID), Internet (TPC/IP) and the telephone network. A Bluetooth network is used to interconnect the nodes and to transport sensor data over the network. The RFID system provides the possibility to transmit data from the RFID tags that are recording occupancy locations. Their approach sends messages via Bluetooth using the available Bluetooth module on the nodes. This means no further hardware is required and additionally no further costs arise.A Similar system to the one proposed in this thesis includes research conducted by Engineering students at the University of Bangladesh regarding the control of remote systems using mobile telephony 15. The paper focuses on the services provided by mobile phones and how they can be used to communicate with and control remote systems. A prototype was developed which involves the use of two mobile phones, a computer and a Bluetooth module or X10 controller as the hardware components. Software to facilitate the communication among the devices uses the Java Standard Edition (J2SE) and Micro Addiction (J2ME) and the C programming language. The system uses a Java enabled mobile phone running their application to send control messages to the home. A second phone is connected to the home computer using a data cable. Software running on the home computer monitors the home mobile for incoming control messages and acts as an interface between the home mobile and the home appliance. When a message is received, it sends commands via Bluetooth to communicate with the appliances. The key issue with this approach is that a computer is required to interface between the home appliance and the phone. The use of a microcontroller would be better suited to this type of application as many are available with built in USB and Bluetooth support. The paper does however reinforce the advantages of using a wireless standard. Bluetooth is a global standard for connecting a wide range of devices, it is available on most handheld devices, the technology is very easy to use and set up, and it provides security by encrypting data us